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The Social Miracle Book Report

Good Essays

T.R. Reid, a journalist, and his family moved to Japan in the 1990’s. They experienced a peaceful and educational experience in Japan. Throughout the book, we are presented with the positive outcomes of a society that cares about the community just as they would care for their own family. Low crime rate, a sense of security, low divorce rates, low incidences of single parenthood. All of this happening while at the same time the country of Japan became a force to be reckoned with in from an economic and innovation standpoint. This, Reid calls it, the Social Miracle. From the way the community cme together to the way the whole society behave themselves. Japanese people take being part of the community very seriously. They seem to take pride in …show more content…

According to a 2011“Global Study on Homicide” by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC.ORG/GSH), page 11) Japan had half the amount of homicides compared to the United states. If children are taught at a very early age that they hold a certain responsibility to their community and then later on in life all around you from your family to the government tell you that to behave in any other way would bring shame to you and your family, a certain good behavior is to be expected. Reid’s book however did not touch on the possibilities of crimes that go unreported. Being that Japan is a male dominated society, and the belief that honor is the most important thing, one can speculate that crimes against women such as rape and family violence go wildly unreported. At the time Reid wrote CONFUCIUS NEXT DOOR, Japan had still not introduced a domestic violence law. But according to an article in 2003 in the Japan Times about violence against women, “When Japan improved its system for reporting and investigating domestic violence in 2011, the number of cases reported increased dramatically. An additional 46.3 percent surge in cases were reported after the National Police Agency changed its policies that year on domestic violence.” (http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2013/07/06/editorials/violence-against-women/#.Vft78410yiw) This makes the peaceful and almost idealic picture that Reid paints, of …show more content…

Many of these philosophies have been repeated through the ages, such as Jesus teachings of the golden rule “do unto others as you would like them to do unto you” (bible Luke 6:31). Confucius was a man who strived to be a public servant, but other than a few opportunties he was mostly unsuccessful, although still respected. He became a tutor and like many great men, the height of his recognition was not during his lifetime. Even though Confucianism is not a religion, on the basis that it lacks a higher being or God, it is more than just a moral compass to follow. Confucius philosophies have proven to be a set of values that have served East Asia invaluably We can all learn from the concept of Jen, or human goodness, that tells us that there is a basic good in everyone. From the concept of Chun tzu, or the Mature Person, Confucius shows us how a person should behave, respectful, relaxed and someone that others look up to. “Only as those who make up society are transformed into chun tzus can the world move toward peace” (Reid

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